La Belle Dame Sans Merci, and other poems

Alain Chartier (c. 1385–c. 1430) was a French poet, diplomat, orator, and political writer who wrote in both Latin and Middle French. Born in Bayeux to a wealthy bourgeois family, his education induced him to study at the University of Paris.

In 1412, he composed a discourse on the Liberties of the Church. From 1417, he served the Dauphin Charles and became a secretary to the king and the regent. Chartier's Letter to the University of Paris, written in 1419, urged loyalty to the legitimate dynasty.

He participated in various diplomatic missions sent by Charles VII to counter the English during the turbulence of the Hundred Years' War. His negotiations with the Duke of Burgundy were crucial in attempting to bridge the divide between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions, a schism that significantly impacted French politics. Similarly, his mission to Scotland was part of France's strategy to strengthen alliances against the English forces.

Chartier held ecclesiastical benefices, becoming a priest and receiving appointments as a canon in Tours and Bayeux. In August 1429, he wrote about Joan of Arc at the request of a foreign ambassador. He died around 1430, probably in Avignon, leaving the “Book of Hope” unfinished.

His work, although highly regarded in the 15th and 16th centuries, has seen misattributions over the years, with less than half of the texts in the main complete edition being authentic productions of Chartier. Notably, his authorship of a Chronicle of King Charles VII was later corrected as an attribution error.

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